Cool Hynes takes title

After Burti was excluded from last weekend's Silverstone meeting, all Hynes needed was a fifth place finish at Thruxton to take the title. Initially his position looked shaky. While Burti led from the start, chased by Fortec's Kristian Kolby, Hynes was stuck in the crucial fifth spot.

Worse still, he was under pressure from the determined Jenson Button. As the race neared its halfway point, Button slipped ahead of Hynes, handing the title advantage to Burti in the process.

It was a short-lived scare however, as Button then proceeded to tangle with Andrew Kirkaldy after the Scot had a spin on the way into the chicane. Both cars continued but would soon be forced to retire.

Burti spent the first seven laps battling to stay ahead of Kolby, until the Dane had a quick spin at the chicane and gave Burti some crucial breathing space. Category returnee Warren Hughes was not close enough to take Kolby's runner-up spot before he recovered, so settled for third.

Hynes' fourth place, achieved despite the close attentions of the ever-improving Tim Spouge, was enough to win the title for himself and his Manor Motorsport team, a stunning achievement for a first year outfit.

'That was a lot more difficult then I'd hoped, Hynes said afterwards. 'I'd gone around the paddock telling everyone not to overtake me in the race, but no-one seemed to listen!

'With everything that has happened today, including people in front of me driving into each other and taking each other out, it was obviously meant to be.

'When Andrew Kirkaldy [Stewart Racing] was ahead and his airbox fell off, it was a stroke of luck! Then Jenson Button did me a favour by running into the back of Andrew, putting them both out of the race.

'All credit must go to my team this year; it's been a fantastic season for us. We would have been happy to win three or four races this season, so to take the title is amazing.'

Rowan Racing's Martin O'Connell won the National Class Championship for the second time in three years.

And in his debut season in Formula 3, Promatecme's Jenson Button won the Avon Tyres Rookie of the Year Award.